A Frank Courageous Heart
by ConstantLabrynth
Summary: **ON HAITUS ** Valiant - "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth; Lucy is at University and has a dream about Aslan who says she is needed by Caspian and she ends up in Narnia again. Sorry rubbish summary! First attempt at a Narnia story
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Summary - Valiant - "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth;

Lucy is at University and has a dream about Aslan who says she is needed by Caspian and she ends up in Narnia again. Sorry rubbish summary!

I have been off of fan fiction for a while and this is my first attempt at a Narnia story but as always sometimes these plot bunnies just will not go away.

Set a few years after VODT - Movieverse based

FYI - Ages - Lucy 18 - Caspian 22

Chapter 1

As Lucy walked towards her Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta's house, she couldn't help but think about the time she and Edmund stayed there and ended up in Narnia on the Dawn Treader with Eustace. That had been well over 5 years ago now though she could recall it as if it was yesterday. She dearly loved to remember her time in Narnia and would daydream about it every chance she got. Although she seemed to be doing this a lot more lately. Probably due to the fact that she was returning to her Aunt and Uncle's house while she attended university in Cambridge. Lucy was an exceptionally intelligent girl, down to the fact that she had already lived many years in Narnia and was wise beyond her current age. She had begged her parents to be allowed to go to University to study and though they wanted her to come to America and find a suitable husband, she was finally given permission on the basis that she was to stay with her Aunt and Uncle.

As she walked up to the door of the house in Cambridge, Lucy daydreamed about her time on the Dawn Treader, she remembered the way she, Edmund and Eustace had found themselves in Narnia. Lucy wondered if the painting would still be in the little back bedroom. She recalled the way the painting had suddenly come to life. Sea water had poured into the room and she had been dragged from Earth into the Narnian sea. She could also remember her surprise and pleasure at being found by King Caspian. Upon seeing them adrift in the sea Caspian had leapt in and grabbed her to pull her to the safety of the hoist. Lucy could still remember Caspian's strong hands and hard muscled chest as he had pulled her close in order to get her to safety. Lucy sighed deeply as she knocked on the door and thought about Caspian while she waited. Lucy had never felt the way she felt about Caspian with any other boy she had met. She felt as though she would never marry as no man could ever live up to King she had put on such a high pedestal.

Lucy sighed again as she heard movement behind the door that broke through her reverie, she tried to put all thoughts of Caspian out of her head.

She was greeted cordially by her Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta, but it was the greeting from Eustace which pleased her the most. He was so happy to see her and doted over how grown up she looked. Eustace helped her to take her suitcases to the little back room where she would be staying again. The room was exactly the same and there was the painting. In the same place it had been before but as she had remembered the ship that was once in the painting was gone, it had sailed away into the distance after their return. Now it was just a painting of the sea but Lucy knew it was a Narnian sea and so it still pleased her to look at. As she still hoped against hope that the ship would one day sail back.

Lucy and Eustace were called down to dinner almost immediately, and it was not until much later that they escaped back to Lucy's room and they could reminisce about their adventures.

It was late in the evening when Eustace finally retired and left Lucy to do the same.

XOXOXOXOXO

Lucy fell asleep as she normally did, thinking of Narnia and ready to dream of Caspian.

However her dream this night was very different to normal. Lucy was sure she was dreaming but couldn't believe how real it all felt. She was back on Aslan's beach at the end of the world. She didn't know why, but she knew that she was waiting for Aslan. So she waited, lying on the pristine white beach, basking in the sun with her eyes closed, enjoying the sound of the water lapping against the beach. When she heard the soft pad of paws on the sand, she said "Hello Aslan," without even opening her eyes.

"Hello Lucy," he said in his deep melodic voice.

"This feels so real, like I'm actually back in Narnia."

"You very nearly are" he replied

At that Lucy's eyes shot open, "This isn't real, is it?" she asked sitting up and looking at Aslan.

"We are in your dream," Aslan said, "but this is also real. Narnia needs your help"

"But you said I wouldn't be allowed back again?"

"I did, I thought it was time for you to grow up and that you would forget like others do. But I did not expect you to hold so dearly to Narnia."

"I would never forget. Narnia is my home." Lucy said tearfully, the joy of thinking that she would be allowed back was overwhelming her.

"So I see, which is why I'm here, to ask you to go back. To help Narnia and to help King Caspian."

"Caspian? Why, what's wrong?" she gasped

"He needs your help," Aslan said but as he did he started to drift away.

"Aslan.. Wait" Lucy called and stretched out her arm.

Several things happened at once, Aslan drifted away and the beach distorted then disappeared. The bright sunlight was suddenly gone and Lucy could not see around her, she tried to turn on her side but felt herself fall out of bed. However she did not land on the hard wooden floor, she carried on falling and fell into something that seemed even brighter than the beach, then landed with thump on something soft.

She opened her eyed and was immediately dazzled by the sun. As her sight adjusted all she could see was green. She was in the lushest green field she could ever remember seeing but it seemed familiar somehow. As she looked around at the amazing fields and woodland in the distance, she sighed deeply.

She was most definitely in Narnia.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors Note: I had this one pretty much ready to go and after the lovely reviews and story alerts I got, I wanted to get this up asap. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and I hope you continue to enjoy. **

**I'll go get to work on Chapter 3... **

Chapter 2

Lucy sat up gingerly as she felt a bit sore from landing quite so hard even though the grass had been very full and almost bouncy. She sat up and tried to get her bearings. She was surrounded on all sides by a number of green and yellow fields, and beyond that she could see woods in the distance. It seemed like a great distance but Lucy knew it was probably not as far as it looked. After all, when she had been in Narnia the first time, she had spent many days walking for miles and miles, camping out and discovering secret hiding places in her kingdom.

She sat up and brushed down her clothing, noticing as she did so that she was still wearing her nightdress. Not very appropriate for a young lady about to embark on a journey but at least it was a warm day so she would not catch a chill. She looked up at the brilliant blue sky, she could see the sun was still low on one side but whether it was rising or setting she could not tell. She looked beyond the fields to the woods either side. The side on her right appeared to look marginally thinner and she thought she could possibly make out something larger behind - perhaps a city but it was too far away to tell. The other side looked much thicker and darker and there were no signs of it ending.

Lucy made her decision and headed right. Hopefully she would find some kind of settlement before nightfall. As she walked she noticed the sun was rising in front of her which meant she was heading east. Lucy had felt like the place seemed familiar, but would she really be able recognise anything after all this time? Could she possibly be heading towards the woods just west of Cair Paravel. If she was right, she was only a day and half's walk from the castle ruins. She also vaguely remembered that there were some faun settlements in that area which she had passed through when she had come to the ruins during her second visit to Narnia. Lucy picked up her pace. Just after midday she reached the edge of the woods, and thought if she kept up at this rate she just might find one of the faun homes before nightfall. By mid afternoon she was getting hungry, but she did not want to stray from the direction she was heading so she kept her eye out for food on her way. She managed to find a small pool on her way so she could at least drink but didn't see anything suitable to eat on her path but she did not want to waste time searching so on she went.

XOXOXOXO

The sun was getting low when Lucy finally saw the telltale signs of a home in the midst of a very large group of trees. Feeling very conscious that she had no idea what sort of greeting she would get, she crept around the big tree trunks that someone had made into their home. She could see a small high window on one side and thought she might be able to sneak a peek at what kind of resident lived there. As Lucy crept over and tried to manoeuvre into a position where she could see through the window, she suddenly heard a cough behind her. Startled, she lost her footing and slipped down the tree stump she had been trying to stand on.

"Oomph" she huffed as she landed on her bottom. She heard a slight chuckle and looked up to see a youngish male faun who was trying to keep a straight face.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked in a very stern voice.

"Well, I was trying to see who lived here." Lucy said honestly as she got up and brushed herself down. "I need some help."

She looked the faun up and down when he did not respond. He did not look much older than herself but he seemed to have gone speechless.

"Do you live here?" she asked.

The faun seemed to recover slightly and stuttered "Are you… Are you… No you can't be?" He looked thoroughly confused for a moment and then asked "Who are you?"

"My name is Lucy," she replied, "So do you," but she stopped mid sentence, as the faun ran off and headed into the house.

"Wait!", Lucy called after him and started to follow.

"Mother, Father, you are not going to believe who's here! Its Queen Lucy… Queen Lucy I tell you!"

Lucy could hear the faun shouting from where she stood just outside the front door.

"Oh don't be so stupid Morvick." she heard a woman call back.

"Mother, I'm serious, come and look!"

Lucy stepped into the living area and could see the young faun calling up some narrow stairs.

"Morvick, is it?" she asked "How did you know who I was?"

"Oh well, I recognised you from all my books. Plus we hardly ever see daughters of Eve come to this part of the forest. They all stay much closer to Cair Paravel. Only the Hunting parties very occasionally come this way." he replied looking at her earnestly.

"Really? Well I don't'," but Lucy was cut off by an older female faun coming down the stairs.

"Morvick who are you jabbering to?" she asked in the same stern tone Morvick has used to question Lucy.

"Mother look! It is Queen Lucy."

Morvick's mother stopped in her tracks and looked at Lucy in surprise.

"Is it really?" she asked stunned.

"Yes," Lucy replied, "I'm sorry to barge in to your home but I need some help. I arrived only this morning, in the Eastern fields of all places, and have been walking all day to try and find someone."

"Oh my dear you must be starving, please come and sit down."

"Thank you, Mrs?"

"Mrs Tumbleweed. Please sit down and I'll get you some broth," she said motioning Lucy to a small dining table with three chairs on one side of the room.

"Thank you, that's so very kind of you." Lucy replied with much relief.

Lucy sat down in one of the dining chairs and started to look at her surroundings. The room was built in the midst of a number of tree trunks that had wound into an open cavern. To her left was the narrow staircase that Mrs Tumbleweed had come down and as Lucy looked, she saw another faun come down the stairs. This time it was an older male faun with what looked like a newspaper in his hands.

"Father look," Morvick jumped up excitedly. "Look its Queen Lucy the Valiant." he said almost triumphantly.

Mr Tumbleweed scrutinised Lucy as she sat at the table.

"Really," he said slowly, "Are you sure?"

"Mr Tumbleweed," Lucy started, "I can't imagine what a shock this must be but I travelled from my world only this morning and have been walking all day in the hopes of finding someone to help me. Is there anyway I can prove to you who I am, other than my word?" she asked.

Mr Tumbleweed looked quite shocked for a moment, "Well, I guess we can only take your word for now and set you on your way. Where are you headed?"

" I have to go to King Caspian. Do you know where I might find him?"

"He will be at Cair Paravel." he replied shortly, as Mrs Tumbleweed brought in the broth for Lucy.

"Thank you Mrs Tumbleweed, this looks fantastic." Lucy said enthusiastically. Then as she started to tuck in, Mr Tumbleweeds words started to sink in and she suddenly said

"Wait, why would Caspian be at Cair Paravel?"

Morvick was the one who answered, "Because he lives there." he said with a look that clearly said everyone knows that.

"But its in ruins." Lucy said in disbelief.

"Oh no, not anymore" Morvick answered, "King Caspian had it rebuilt over the last three years and now lives there.

"Oh," was all Lucy could say so Morvick carried on,

"Yes, when he returned from the Lone Islands with Lord Rhoop, Lord Revilian, Lord Argoz and Lord Mavramorn, King Caspian decided to rebuild it so that all the council could stay there."

"Wait, What?" Lucy stopped eating for a moment as she tried to wrap her head around what he had said. "Caspian only returned from the Lone Islands three years ago?" she asked in wonderment.

"Well yes, surely you know this as you were said to be there?"

"I was, but then I went back to my world where it has been nearly 6 years since I was last here." Lucy felt very confused. "I just don't understand" she said to herself as she was still trying to come to grips with the difference in times between England and Narnia. "I must find Caspian as soon as possible."

"Well you can't go tonight," Mrs Tumbleweed interrupted her thoughts, "It's dark now. You're better off having a good nights sleep and Morvick can guide you in the morning."

"Really mother? I can go to Cair Paravel?" Morvick replied excitedly and Lucy smiled at his eagerness

"Just to take Queen Lucy mind." she replied quickly.

"Thank you all, this is very kind of you," Lucy said then tried to stifle a yawn.

"Have you had enough to eat? Would you like to sleep now? You must be very weary after travelling all day?" Mrs Tumbleweed fired off the questions to Lucy as she quickly discovered that Mrs Tumbleweed was very much the mother hen.

"Yes thank you, this has been a lot to take in and I do feel very tired."

"Right, follow me and I'll take you to the guest room." Mrs Tumbleweed led her up the narrow staircase. Lucy had to duck when she reached the top and found that the trees led into a large cavern that must have been hidden in the hillside behind the trees. There were five doors leading off in different directions and Mrs Tumbleweed ushered Lucy into the second doorway. She left Lucy for a moment in a neat little room with a single bed and a chest of drawers. Mrs Tumbleweed returned with a wash basin and some cloths.

"Erm, Mrs Tumbleweed," Lucy said hesitantly." I do hate to impose on your further but would you have a change of clothes I could have for the journey tomorrow?"

Mrs Tumbleweed slapped her head, "I thought maybe it was just your worlds way of dressing?"

Lucy shook her head in embarrassment.

"Of course my dear, let me see what I can find for you."

"Thank you again, I am so glad it was your home I stumbled upon."

"You are very welcome dear, now get some sleep. Goodnight" Mrs Tumbleweed said as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Lucy washed up quickly and went straight to bed. Even though her mind was whirling with all the things that had happened, she was too tired to stay awake and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors notes: Thanks everyone for all the lovely reviews and story alerts. Seeing all those emails pop up really kept me going… However I found it really hard to find the right stopping point for this chapter but it does mean I'm further into Chapter 4 so hopefully you won't mind too much. Enjoy! **

Chapter 3

The next day Mrs Tumbleweed brought Lucy breakfast in bed.

"Really Mrs Tumbleweed, you don't have to wait on me. I can come downstairs." Lucy tried to protest.

"Nonsense, I like to fuss, or so Morvick tells me all the time. Besides you needed as much rest as possible. You have another days journey ahead of you and I could see how bone tired you were yesterday."

Lucy sighed, "Yes you are right, but I feel uncomfortable being treated like this."

"Well you shouldn't. You are our Queen and I do it gladly."

Lucy smiled and Mrs Tumbleweed changed the subject.

"I managed to find some clothes I think will fit you. Although they are men's clothing. I hope you won't mind? But nothing of mine would have fitted you" Mrs Tumbleweed said apologetically as she passed Lucy some clothing.

"No no, these are perfect," Lucy said checking the shirt, trousers and belt, "I really am grateful for everything you have given me. Besides, it'll be easier to travel in trousers than a dress would have been."

Mrs Tumbleweed chuckled and left Lucy to eat and dress.

XOXOXOXO

When Lucy came downstairs Morvick was already dressed and looked set to go, whilst his mother was packing two bags and giving him instructions.

"You make sure you mind yourself in front of Queen Lucy."

"Yes mother," Morvick replied with a sigh as if he was just humouring her.

"Take the path to the bridge, as it'll be easier on you both."

"Yes mother,"

"Make sure you stop if Queen Lucy looks tired. I know she's in a rush but 5 minutes rest will not make much difference," she gabbled.

"Yes mother." Morvick said as he spotted Lucy and raised his eyebrows at her in defeat.

"Good Morning," Lucy said to make her presence known to Mrs Tumbleweed as well.

"Good Morning, Queen Lucy," Morvick replied.

"All ready to go?" she asked.

"Almost," he replied, "You may as well sit down as Mother will want to double check everything before we go."

"Morvick! I thought I told you to mind your manners" Mrs Tumbleweed snapped.

"Yes mother,"

"My apologies, Queen Lucy. Everything is nearly ready."

"And I am sorry to rush you but there is a reason I am here and I need to see Caspian as soon as possible to find out what it is." Lucy tried to explain without causing too much worry.

"Of course my dear, just need to get a few more bits" she said as she bustled off.

Morvick leant forward and ushered Lucy over, "The quicker route is a bit rough going," he said quietly, "There will be a lot of climbing and possibly some wild animals on that path. Do you wish to go that way?" He asked, clearly not wanting to offend Lucy but wanting to give her the option.

"Do you have a weapon I could borrow?" Lucy asked weighing up the options.

"Yes, Father has given me two swords and two daggers so we will both have one of each."

"In that case, I would like to go the quicker route," Lucy said firmly. "I'm sure if you have read our stories, you will know I went on many adventures. I'm sure we'll be fine." _(And I'm more worried about Caspian than I can say),_ she added to herself.

"Certainly your majesty, just er, don't tell Mother," he added sheepishly.

XOXOXOXO

After a lot of fussing from Mrs Tumbleweed, Lucy and Morvick were finally on their way. They travelled companionably through the forest and the first couple of hours were reasonably easy going. After a while the route grew steadily worse and they eventually reached a large crevice around midday.

"We have to climb down this side and then back up the other," Morvick told her. "It's quite hard going but the bridge is a few miles further south, and would take us twice as long to get to the other side. But its only about another hour after that to Cair Paravel." he added.

"Right, well, on we go," Lucy said fearlessly as she stowed away the dagger she had been carrying.

Morvick went down first with Lucy close behind. The journey down was not too bad but Lucy was still relieved when they reached the bottom. There was a narrow stream which they stopped at to drink and refill their water skins.

Lucy sighed deeply and took in her surroundings, "I thought I remembered Narnia so clearly, but it is so beautiful I don't think I ever remembered it well enough."

"Is it much changed?" Morvick asked curiously.

"From which time?" Lucy laughed, "It is not so different to what I remember from my second visit."

Lucy's voice hitched as she remembered the days travelling through the woods with Trumpkin and her brothers and sister. How young she and her siblings had been at the time. She caught Morvick's look of confusion and carried on.

"But compared to my first time here in Narnia - what you call our golden age - it was something else to behold." Lucy smiled a real genuine smile as she remembered. "It seemed a lot more and a lot less wild all at the same time. Once the White Witch was gone, and all her army had been destroyed, it was peaceful. That's what I remember the most. I could walk or ride for days on end to the furthest reaches of the forest and never fear. The trees would whisper to me and we would dance into the night"

Lucy laughed at Morvick who was enraptured by her story. "It was not the same when I returned the second time, everything was so still. It does feel like the life is back in these woods but still…" she looked up at the trees," but still not as much." She sighed deeply, "And the third time, we did not even set foot near the mainland. We landed in the middle of the sea out towards the Lone Islands and carried on east to the end of the world before going home once again."

Lucy recalled her goodbyes and how devastated she had been that she would never return. But now here she was and she was grateful to have been given another chance to enjoy Narnia once again.

"The end?.. The very end of the world?" Morvick had finally found his voice again

"Yes," Lucy replied smiling.

"But what's it like?" he asked still marvelling at her story.

"Hmm," Lucy tried to recall Reepicheeps song,

"Where sky and water meet,

where the waves grow sweet,

doubt not Reepicheep,

to find all you seek,

there is the utter east."

"Reepicheep, wasn't he the mouse lord?" Morvick asked

"You know our stories well," Lucy said impressed. "Yes he was a very good friend of mine and whenever I think of our journey to the end, I remember his song. But now we must carry on, we have stopped long enough"

"Yes, of course, your majesty"

"Please just call me Lucy."

"Alright, Lucy," Morvick said with a smile. "Now, where shall we start?"

They looked up the steep wall of the crevice that they had to climb up and decided to start a few feet over to the right where it looked like there were more ledges and gaps for them to be able to grip on to. It took about half an hour but they finally reached the top without too much trouble. They stopped for a few moments rest and to drink from their skins again.

Lucy stood to get going again when she heard a rustle coming from behind Morvick, and as she looked up a wild boar suddenly leapt out of the brush and charged towards them. Lucy did not even think, she called to Morvick "MOVE!"

Morvick barely had time to react, he jumped to his left as Lucy threw her dagger. It hit the boar just above its right leg, the boar stumbled and fell with a crashing bang to the forest floor. The boar knocked itself out as it had gone down.

Lucy ran over, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," she cried.

"Lucy, Lucy?" Morvick called in concern as Lucy cried over the animal. "Please do not cry. It was a wild animal and would probably have mauled us both."

"I know but it is too sad to have to kill anything."

"It may not be dead, look it's only wounded," Morvick said quickly, "See it still breathes."

"Oh really?" Lucy looked round to see it was still breathing. The dagger had been knocked from its leg. "I wish I had my cordial to heal it."

"Here," Morvick said rummaging in his bag, "Let us move it into the brush and put some of this poultice on the wound. We must hurry though. I'm sure it will be sore angry when it wakes."

Lucy and Morvick hid the boar from view and tended to the wound. Once they had done all they could they carried on their journey.

"It's not far now," Morvick tried to say cheerily.

"I am glad." Lucy replied, she was a little troubled by the encounter with the boar but was grateful to Morvick that he had taken the time and effort to treat the poor animal.

XOXOXOXO

They carried on in silence for at least another mile, and then the trees started to thin.

"Look, Lucy!" Morvick suddenly said in excitement, pointing to the tops of the trees.

Lucy could make out the top turrets of Cair Paravel. "Wow," she mouthed, even though she could only see a little of the castle so far, she could already see it looked magnificent.

As they got closer, the more Lucy could see of Cair Paravel and realised the stupendous effort that had been put into restoring it in all its glory. She felt pleased to be returning to her former home but as they got closer she felt a churning start in her stomach. At first she thought maybe it was just nervousness of coming back to a place that had been her home for many years, but was actually no longer her home. But as she got closer to the castle, it felt wrong somehow.

She knew something was not right here and she could feel it right down to the depths of her being.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Its great to know people are enjoying the story so much. Please feel free to give feedback and make suggestions. This chapter is a bit longer and I warn you now it's about to get a bit angsty and I really really hope you don't all hate me for this … **

Chapter 4

Lucy and Morvick walked slowly up the hill to the front gates of Cair Pavarel. The churning in Lucy's stomach seemed to have lessened as she got closer to the newly rebuilt castle and she could see and appreciate all its beauty. It was magnificent sitting high up in the hills with a drawbridge leading to the main gates. As they walked closer Lucy felt nervous, how was she going to announce herself? Morvick also seemed tense and kept glancing sideways at her so she tried to show an outwardly calm exterior even though she still felt like her stomach was sinking.

They walked up to the high solid front gates and Lucy called up to the soldier on guard in her most regal sounding voice.

"I am Queen Lucy the Valiant, Queen of Narnia." she said, feeling a little silly for using her full title, "I am here to see King Caspian and I request an audience at once."

The soldier seemed to dither for a moment and Lucy could imagine his confusion at such a statement coming from a girl dressed as a boy with only a faun for company. He looked down at them and called another soldier over. They spoke and the first soldier called down, "Please wait." as the other ran off.

Lucy tried to stand a little taller still as if this was an affront to her, but she couldn't really blame the soldier, there was no way of him knowing if she told the truth.

Lucy and Morvick felt like they had been waiting hours, even though it had only actually been a few minutes. The soldier returned and the main gate was slowly opened. Several more soldiers stood ahead of them surrounding a dwarf who was peering at Lucy.

Lucy's heart leapt when she saw that it was her dear little friend Trumpkin. In her excitement she forgot that she would look some years older to him and he might not recognise her.

"Trumpkin!" she called fervently as she ran towards him.

"HALT!" one of the guards called out, unsheathing his sword as he did so.

Lucy skidded to a halt with a pained expression.

"Trumpkin," she said in a very small, hurt voice

"Lucy, is it really you?" he said in disbelief but recognition was slowly dawning.

"Of course it is," she replied, she was now close to tears thinking that one of her greatest friends did not appear to know her.

Recognition finally dawned on his face as he saw the girl he once knew in her wounded features. "Oh Lucy, come here." he said holding his arms open.

She rushed forward and enveloped him in a big hug.

Of course Lucy knew she had gotten taller over the years but hugging Trumpkin made her feel positively enormous. The guards all stood down and Morvick entered slowly behind her.

"Oh Trumpkin, how could you not know me?" she asked tearfully.

"My dear little friend," he replied, "you are not so little anymore. You have grown up since we last met."

"Am I that changed?" she asked, not really believing she had changed all that much.

"Yes you are. But what about me, haven't I changed too?"

Lucy stepped back and took a good look at Trumpkin, she wanted to say he still looked exactly as she remembered, but actually he had changed, he was much less unkempt and in fact looked very well turned-out in his formal looking robes.

"You look very smart Trumpkin," she started "but you are still my dear little friend." She gave him a playful shove to emphasise her point.

Lucy heard a cough behind her and she started, "Oh I am sorry, Trumpkin, this is Morvick Tumbleweed. I managed to find my way to his home when I arrived in Narnia yesterday. Morvick and his family have been very kind and generous and Morvick has escorted me here to ensure I arrived safely." Lucy smiled as Morvick stepped forward to shake Trumpkin's hand.

"Good afternoon sir," Morvick said timidly.

"Welcome, "Trumpkin said shaking his hand kindly. "Thank you for taking care of Lucy."

"It was my pleasure sir," Morvick replied then he turned to Lucy and said, "but I must get back as my mother will be expecting me before nightfall."

"Oh Morvick, can you not stay?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Queen Lucy, you met my mother," he said by way of explanation and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes of course, she did want you to return immediately, didn't she." Lucy grinned then turned to the dwarf, "Trumpkin can we make sure he has food and water for his return journey?"

"Certainly," Trumpkin turned to one of the guards, "Darrin please take Morvick to get whatever he needs from the kitchen."

The soldier came over ready to take Morvick to the kitchen.

"Morvick, you are sure you'll be alright?" Lucy asked, Morvick nodded and went to turn but Lucy took his hand "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me. Please allow me to come visit you after I am settled. I am sure I can find my way back and by horse it will not take nearly as long."

"Certainly, my queen, you will always be welcome and I look forward to seeing you again soon." Morvick shook her hand, then bowed and headed off with the soldier.

XOXOXOXO

Lucy watched them go and sighed. Trumpkin caught her attention and offered her his arm and started to lead her into the halls of Cair Paravel.

"So, what's new?" she asked Trumpkin in a falsely cheery voice.

"Well I am a council member now." he said as they walked.

"Oh, I knew that actually," Lucy replied, "when I was on the Dawn Treader, Caspian told me he had entrusted you with the running of Narnia in his absence."

"Yes, he did. And when he returned the King told me that you had said he could not have made a better choice. For which I thank you." Lucy laughed lightly, Trumpkin had changed, he was much more prim and proper than she remembered. She wondered if he realised this but did not want to tease him about it - at least not just yet.

"How is Caspian?" she asked gently. Something in Trumpkin's demeanour changed and told her she had hit the proverbial nail on the head but Trumpkin was not immediately forthcoming.

"He is fine," he replied casually but at the same time he seemed to be scouring the hall to see if they were alone.

"What is it DLF?" she asked concerned. Trumpkin smiled slightly at the endearment she used but he still seemed on edge.

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked in a sudden, quiet whisper.

"No" she replied also now whispering, "When I was last here Aslan had told me I would never return to Narnia." Trumpkin stopped and looked shocked at this revelation. "But then he came to me in a dream and said Narnia and Caspian needed me but told me nothing else. When I woke up I was in the Western Fields."

"Hmm" Trumpkin seemed to ponder this as he started to walk with her again. "And it is just you? Your brothers and sister are not here?"

"No, they have grown up, as Aslan put it. They don't really talk about Narnia anymore and always say it was just a silly fantasy. But I never forgot. Although" Lucy hesitated, "I was at Eustace's house. I don't know why Aslan would not have brought him with me?"

"Eustace? The one from the Dawn Treader?"

"Yes, my cousin. Aslan didn't say he would not come back and he has always believed he will one day."

"I wonder… Just you?" Trumpkin seemed to say to himself. He looked Lucy in the eye with his piercing stare for a moment then said. "Well first things first, I think we should see if we can get you an audience with the King straight away and you can see what you think."

Lucy was gobsmacked by Trumpkin's reply. He did not seem overtly concerned for Caspian as such but there was definitely something wrong.

"Trumpkin, what is wrong? Can't you explain?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," but he was practically looking over his shoulder again, still making sure that no-one else was around.

They had reached the Great Hall but the doors were shut.

"Wait here a moment, Council is still in session but I'll see if he will see you now." Trumpkin led her to one side to wait while he entered the great hall.

Lucy stood and waited, feeling suddenly very under dressed as she realised she would be seeing Caspian for the first time in six years and she was still dressed like a boy. _"Oh well"_ she thought, _"Still better than a night dress." _

XOXOXOXO

When the door opened again and she heard Trumpkin call "Presenting Queen Lucy the Valiant, Queen of Narnia".

She wondered why she was being presented to the whole council as she had expected that Caspian would come out to meet her and be as thrilled to see her as she was to be seeing him.

Lucy stepped carefully into the hall and looked around, marvelling at the care and detail that had been put into rebuilding the hall. As she looked around she thought she recognised some of the council members but her heart leapt into her throat when she finally laid eyes on Caspian. He was seated at the head of the hall on a dais which had two thrones. Although it had been three years, he didn't look very different to when she last saw him. He wore his hair down to his shoulders and had the same beautifully tanned skin. He still had a closely shaven beard of soft dark brown hair covering his jaw line but she could make out his defined cheekbones and kissable mouth from where she stood … "_Concentrate_" she told herself because there was something different. It was his eyes she realised, they were the same deep brown but she could not see the openness and friendly expression that they normally held.

However what shocked Lucy even more was that on the throne next to Caspian, there was a beautiful dark haired woman sat at his side. Lucy's eyes dragged immediately to the woman's left hand to check for a ring. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as she couldn't see one.

"Queen Lucy. Welcome to Cair Paravel" Caspian said grandly, not even rising from his seat. Lucy looked back to him, her heart skipping a beat as she looked at the familiar face but was at the same time stunned to hear him address her in such a formal manner. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" he continued.

Lucy felt astounded and … appalled at the welcome. She had been ready to run into Caspian's arms and greet him as, well, as family if she really could not wish for anything more. But this stilted ceremonial greeting felt all wrong and the churning started in her stomach again.

Realising that she had to say something in reply. Lucy curtsied and said, "Thank you King Caspian. I understand it has been a longer for myself than for you since I was last in Narnia. But it seems Aslan has brought me back to Narnia to be of assistance once again."

Caspian simply looked at her, almost as if he was trying to connect the dots in his head.

Lucy took a moment to look at the woman next to Caspian again, she was very beautiful but the look she gave Lucy back was cold and detached.

Since no one said anything further, Trumpkin coughed and stepped forward.

"Your majesty, perhaps Queen Lucy should be settled in one of the guest rooms and we can talk further after the council has finished?" he asked.

"Yes Trumpkin, that's sounds reasonable." Caspian said in the same formal air. Then he seemed to catch himself and Lucy thought she could see something of the old Caspian in his eyes as he said "Please show her to the family rooms, this is as much her home as it is mine."

But the friendly look was gone so quickly Lucy wasn't sure she even saw it. She did however notice that the dark woman next to Caspian had narrowed her eyes at Lucy during this last comment.

"Thank you King Caspian," Lucy replied politely and curtsied again.

Trumpkin led her from the hall on his arm again, which Lucy was very grateful for, as she felt utterly and completely bewildered by her reception from Caspian.

Again she got that sinking feeling in her stomach that something was very, very wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Thanks again everyone for the reviews!It really makes my day to see all the alerts :) I'm not sure if this chapter might seem a little short but we are going somewhere, I promise and I didn't want to make you wait too long between updates... Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 5

As they walked away from the Great Hall, the doors were shut with a deafening bang and Lucy jumped.

She was so dumbfounded by Caspian's reception that she did not even know where to start.

"Well that was… that was just plain weird. And who was that woman with him?" she asked frantically.

"Quiet," Trumpkin said in a low growl. "Let's get to your rooms and then we can talk."

They quickly walked away from the Great Hall and further into the castle to the family rooms. The layout was exactly as Lucy remembered and when they got to her room, there were two maids already there who were laying down fresh bedding.

Lucy smiled at them as she entered but she was still so shocked she had to sit down straight away. Trumpkin led her to an arm chair. As she sat down, Lucy groaned gently and put her head in her hands. "What is going on here, Trumpkin? That was not the Caspian I remember. He was so cold and so detached."

"Hush dear one," Trumpkin said kindly and for a moment, Lucy was sure she heard Aslan's voice echo the sentiment.

Lucy gave Trumpkin a thin smile. "That's what Aslan calls me. Dear one," she repeated softly. "I wish he had told me more."

She took a few deep breaths and as she recovered she looked around at the rooms.

There were three adjoining rooms, a sitting area, a bedroom and a wash room. The sitting room that they were in now, was very large and full of light. There were two chaise longues and two arm chairs around a solid wooden table that had intricate carvings around the sides and legs. She smiled, "This is such a Narnian room, Trumpkin. So much like my old one."

"Well, the rebuild was based on all the drawings and books of old so that it would resemble the original Cair Paravel as much as possible" Trumpkin said proudly. "I think these rooms were in fact built to match your original rooms."

"Wow, that's amazing. It is just lovely in here and it really feels like coming home." Lucy gushed but it felt like something was missing. "Trumpkin, was the Treasure room kept? I'd very much like to have my things brought up? Oh, does Caspian still have my dagger and cordial?" she asked remembering that he took them for safe keeping when she left to go back to her world the last time.

Her heart sank almost as soon as it felt like it had started to lift, as she watched Trumpkin's eyes slide away from hers nervously. Nervousness in this Dwarf was not something Lucy had ever seen and it did not bode well.

"The remains of the treasure room were rebuilt and everything that was in there was kept, so I'm sure we can get your things brought up straight away." he said

"And my dagger and cordial?" she asked feeling like Trumpkin was holding something back.

"They were kept by the King along with High King Peter's sword and Queens Susan's bow and horn." he said uneasily.

"Yes," Lucy said slowly, "I remember he had them on the Dawn Treader. So where does he keep them now?" she asked.

"He, erm, he had them on display in his rooms when he first moved in to Cair Paravel," Trumpkin said looking shifty again.

"Right? So where are they now? Trumpkin?" she asked warily.

He then eyed the maids anxiously which put Lucy even more on edge.

Clearing her throat, Lucy stood and turned to the maids. "Thank you Ladies, what are your names?"

The two maids stopped what they were doing and curtsied to Lucy, the first one said "My name is Elaine, your majesty."

"My name is Anna, your majesty." said the second.

"It's very nice to meet you both" Lucy said, "Would you be able to fetch some tea and food from the kitchens? I am absolutely starving from my journey."

"Of course your majesty," the maids replied in unison and turned and left the room.

"Thank you both," Lucy called after them and then shut the door.

"Now Trumpkin," she said turning to him, "what is this all about and who is that woman?"

Trumpkin motioned for Lucy to sit on the chaise longue and took the closest arm chair himself.

"Her name is Lady Cara of Archenland." he started

"Archenland?" Lucy queried, "but aren't they normally fair haired?

"Lucy, please, I have to tell you a lot and very quickly" Trumpkin rumbled lightly.

"Sorry," Lucy said abashed "please go on."

"She says she is from Archenland but hardly anyone knew of her until she turned up with the dignitaries from Archenland. The King seemed pleased to meet her but the renewal of the treaty was more important so he did not seem to pay her much attention to begin with. Then after about a week something changed in Caspian." Trumpkin looked her in the eye as he said this. "He was no longer himself. It was subtle to begin with but he started spending more and more time with Lady Cara and the changes became more obvious. He would no longer talk with his closest friends and advisors, including me. It is like she has some sort of hold over him. Then a few more weeks later, the dignitaries left, even though the issues with the treaty were still unresolved. But Lady Cara decided to stay at King Caspian's request. Since then she never seems to leave his side. Although as yet no betrothal has been announced. Its all very strange." he finished lamely.

Lucy huffed in confusion, "None of this makes sense. Caspian has always been very" Lucy hesitated as she tried to find the right word, " very 'besotted' by beautiful women. I remember how he was with Susan and then with Lilliandil. What happened with her by the way?" Lucy said,

"She came back with Caspian but he didn't seem that interested in her once he got to know her better, "Trumpkin said with a wry smile, "and she did not enjoy being away from her fathers island so she returned after just a few months."

"Oh," was all Lucy could say but secretly she was happy that Caspian had got bored of the star.

"And my dagger and cordial?" Lucy queried.

"That was odd as well. Like I said, King Caspian had them on display in his rooms, along with King Peter's sword and Queen Susan's horn and bow. It was like a reminder to him of the Kings and Queens of Old and what you had all stood for. Then one day I went to his rooms to discuss an issue that had arisen, and found that they had all gone. I asked him where they were and Caspian only said he had had them put away. Though he would not say where."

Lucy sat for a moment thinking, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. She quickly said, "I need to think on this Trumpkin and I need to see more of Caspian and this Lady Cara before we can decide what to do."

"Yes my lady," Trumpkin replied heavily.

"Come in," Lucy called. It was the two maids returning with food and refreshments.

"Thank you," Lucy said to them, then turned back to Trumpkin. "Is it possible to get my things from the Treasure room brought up straight away? I'd very much like to wash up and change."

"Of course," Trumpkin replied.

"But as soon as Caspian is free can you ask that he come see me? And you come to, so I can ask about my other things?" she said.

"Yes, I think that is a good idea." Trumpkin stood and took Lucy's hand. "Hopefully I'll be back shortly" he kissed her hand in a very gentlemanly manner and then left.

"_Trumpkin with impeccable manners, who'd have thought it,"_ Lucy contemplated with a small chuckle.

Lucy ate and drank her fill from the selection the maids had brought up. She had almost forgotten how wonderful the food could be in Narnia. Then as she was just finishing, two guards arrived with all her things from the Treasure room. Lucy was just organising everything to be put away when there was another knock at her door.

It was Trumpkin but without Caspian.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I haven't been able to catch up with the King. He has shut himself away in his study and said that no-one is to disturb him."

"Hmm, I wonder who's idea that was?" Lucy speculated

"However, I have arranged a dinner for this evening with the entire council to celebrate your safe return."

"So Caspian will have to attend?" she asked shrewdly

"Yes, it is a formal function so he cannot refuse."

"Well thought out DLF." Lucy said.

"Right well I have a few things to deal with but I'll come back to take you down to dinner if I may?" Trumpkin asked as he made to leave.

"That would be lovely. Thank you Trumpkin," Lucy said.

After he had gone, she turned back to her new wardrobe to see if any of her more formal dresses had been brought up so that she would have something to wear for dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors Note: As always thanks to everyone who reviewed - it makes me so happy! I really struggled with this chapter - not sure why, it just didnt seeem to flow as easily - so I hope everyone will like it...  
**

Chapter 6

Lucy rifled through her wardrobe and pulled out three of the formal dresses she had. They were all very pretty, one in dark blue, another in silver, and the last in a deep burgundy. Lucy looked them over to make sure they were all still in good condition. Amazingly they all were, even though they had been stored for such a length of time. Lucy then went into her wash room and found that one of the maids had started to draw a bath for her.

"Oh thank Aslan," she said, "A chance to wash away the grime of the last two days."

Anna who was pouring water into the bath tub stifled a laugh and Lucy could see she was trying not to smile. "You can laugh Anna, its fine." Lucy said though her own small smile.

Anna smiled back at her and said, "Here you are my lady, just call once you are finished and I'll help you dress for dinner." then she left the room.

Lucy quickly undressed and hopped into the bath tub. The water felt lovely on her aching muscles and as she started to relax, she tried to run through everything that had happened. On the one hand she felt elated, she was back in Narnia and back in Cair Paravel. It was like her dreams had come true. Well up to a point. The point that normally involved Caspian. Which on the other hand, was where the problems seemed to lie. In all the time she had spent with Caspian he had always treated her like a sister. Yes, she wished for something more, and returning to Narnia now that she was older, she had hoped he might see more in her but she never ever expected that he would treat her as anything less than family.

In the years she had been back in England she had realised that her feelings for Caspian ran very deep. In fact she had felt almost sure that she had fallen in love with Caspian. Every boy she had met, she had compared with the Caspian she remembered. But now... the Caspian she had returned to was someone completely different. Lucy sighed "Oh Aslan, what am I going to do?"

Lucy stayed in the bath until the water started to feel too cool, and she finally felt as though she had got clean. Then she got out of the bath and wrapped herself in one of the large cloths left for her. Walking back into her bedroom, Lucy called Anna back and asked her to help her get changed in to one of the dresses she had pulled out of the wardrobe.

XOXOXOXO

When Trumpkin returned and knocked on her door, Lucy was seated at her dressing table and called out for him to enter.

"I'll just be one more minute" she called as Anna tried to get her braided hair to stay in place.

Anna tugged the braided piece of hair back around and pinned it in place "There, all ready." she said.

Anna had brushed her hair into beautifully glossy waves and the front was pulled back by her crown and pinned back with intricate braids. Lucy had decided to change into one of her more extravagant dresses which was a dark burgundy colour that set off her red brown hair. The dress had a stunning boat neck which was tipped with lace and had long thin lace sleeves. It hugged her figure down to her hips where it then spread in to an A line skirt. Lucy wasn't sure if the style would be in keeping with what other ladies might be wearing but since this was one of her favourites she thought she would be more comfortable. She stood up and walked into the sitting room to meet Trumpkin.

Trumpkin looked at her in awe.

"Ducks and dollhouses. You look beautiful Lucy." he said looking absolutely astonished.

"Thank you" she said grinning "but there's no need to sound quite so surprised"

XOXOXOXO

Lucy and Trumpkin walked down to the dining hall and when they entered, most of the other councillors and their families were already there. Lucy received a polite round of applause and she nodded gratefully to the people. She then scanned the room looking for Caspian but she could see no sign of him or Lady Cara.

Whilst they were waiting for the remaining people to arrive, Trumpkin introduced Lucy to the council members. She recognised some of them from the battle at Aslan's How, both those she fought with and against. The diplomat in Lucy couldn't help but admire Caspian's leadership in managing to unite the Telmarines and the Narnians so successfully. She talked briefly to a few of them, and was then greeted by Lord Rhoop, who she remembered from the Dawn Treader. Lord Rhoop took the opportunity to introduce her to the other three Lords that Caspian had rescued from Ramandu's island. Lucy tried hard to concentrate on the buzz of conversation but her eyes kept drifting to the door waiting for Caspian to arrive.

Lastly, Lord Drinian greeted her in his gruff voice, "Queen Lucy, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"And you Drinian. It has been such a long time." she smiled warmly at him.

"Yes three years is a long time but you look so grown up." he said curiously.

"Ah, well it has in fact been six years for me since I was on the Dawn Treader." Lucy explained

"Really, how strange." he said raising one eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes, although not quite as strange as when my brothers, my sister and I returned after just one year away from Narnia and then found out 1300 years had passed since we had gone, which is what happened when I first met Caspian." Lucy laughed gently

"Yes indeed." Drinian said laughing with her. Then they both turned as they heard the doors to the dining hall open.

Lucy looked at the door and held her breath as Caspian finally entered. She could recall every aspect of his face from her repeated dreams of him over the years but as she looked at him in the flesh, she flinched at the cold and distant look in his eyes. Even worse than that, Lucy saw Lady Cara was hanging on his arm and was trying to lead Caspian away from her. But as Lucy caught Caspian's eye, she saw a change in his expression. Caspian looked her up and down, and Lucy felt her cheeks grow warm, he clearly seemed to approve of the dress she was wearing.

"Lucy" he exclaimed "I can't believe how grown up you are?"

"So everyone keeps telling me" she replied shyly, trying to steel herself against attempting to run into his arms.

"I did say it had been a long time since I last saw you."

"Yes so it seems," he replied looking at her intently.

He seemed to be drinking her in with his eyes and Lucy felt as though this was the first time he had really seen her since she arrived. Then Lucy realised with a jolt that this was also the first time she had seen something of the old Caspian in his expression. The Caspian that she remembered so well.

Lucy felt as if she was drowning in those warm brown eyes and she and Caspian were still looking at each other when Cara tugged on his sleeve and tried again to lead him away.

Caspian however seemed to have other ideas and he turned to Lucy and said "I'm sorry I forget my manners. Queen Lucy, this is Lady Cara of Archenland" finally making the long overdue introduction.

Cara turned back to Lucy with a look that obviously said she did not want to make conversation at all but said in a very girly and almost shrill voice "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Then she turned to Caspian and said "Shouldn't we be getting seated darling?" giving him a sultry look as she said it.

Lucy cringed to hear her call him 'darling' in such a sycophantic tone. But Caspian seemed to have been drawn in and let her lead him away from Lucy and make their way over to be seated at the head of the table.

As they walked away and everyone started to get seated, Lucy couldn't help but feel jealousy sweep through her like a tidal wave, and suddenly found it even harder to concentrate on the people around her.

Caspian was seated at the head of the table with Cara on his right, and there were several of the more senior members of the council seated close to them but Cara seemed intent on keeping all of Caspian's attention on herself. Lucy found herself, seated at least 8 people away from the two of them, and she felt as if her blood was boiling beneath her skin as she watched Cara smiling and giggling with Caspian. Every time someone tried to engage Caspian in conversation or if Caspian himself seems to take an interest in something that had been said, Cara immediately diverts his attention back to her with little touches to his arm and hands or by batting her eyelashes and twiddling her hair in what Lucy presumes is supposed to be a flirtatious way.

By the time they are halfway through the meal, Lucy was already thoroughly fed up and could feel the jealousy pounding its way through her veins. Drinian was regaling the people around her with tales of her time on the Dawn Treader, and Lucy was doing her best to keep up with the conversation, when Caspian finally seemed to take notice of the tale Drinian was telling.

"And to our utter amazement, the dragon turned out to be Eustace!" Drinian was saying.

Caspian interrupted and said "Yes, I remember how shocked we all were. But Lucy, you seemed to take it all in your stride and walked straight up to Eustace to help him remove that bracelet."

"You remember well." Lucy said in astonishment that Caspian was actually able to join in their conversation, "I could see where the bracelet had rubbed against the scales on his arm you see, and it looked very painful."

"You were always very compassionate about Eustace's situation." Caspian said as he tried to laugh but it came out in a very dull and sedate manner.

Cara seemed to be trying to regain Caspian's attention by tugging on his sleeve again and suddenly Lucy decided to take the opportunity to bring up the subject of her cordial and dagger.

"Yes, I always thought that was why Father Christmas gave me the cordial." she said quite loudly and pointedly in Caspians direction, "I think he knew I would always want to be able to help others." She then looked directly at Caspian. "When we were on the Dawn Treader, you returned my cordial and my dagger to me. I was hoping you would still have them for me now?"

Caspian hesitated as if he were confused and Lucy saw Cara move very slightly out of the corner of her eye. Lucy was sure she saw her touch Caspian's hand gently and his eyes seemed to withdraw again as he said "Yes, all the presents are kept safe in my vault."

"Really?" Lucy said in surprise, "Well, I did wonder if it would be possible to have my things returned?" she tried again. She was not going to be put off by that… that.. Well she would think of a nasty word for Cara later.

Caspian had not replied so Lucy said, "I would also very much like to see Peter's sword and Susan's bow and horn too?"

Everyone was now silent, almost as if they were all waiting to hear Caspian's reply.

However since he still had not replied, Lucy tried a slightly different tact, she looked down and picked at the table cloth then said "Do you have any cause for concern for their safety? Since they are being kept in the vault?" she asked.

Again Caspian seemed stuck by the question and it was Lord Drinian that answered. "Of course not, the Kings castle is the most secure place in Narnia."

Cara seemed to stiffen at this and Caspian replied somewhat randomly "Of course,"

But Lucy saw her opening and said "Well if that's the case, surely they can all be kept in my rooms? I would very much like to have them on display to remind me of my brothers and sister while I am here and surely you would not begrudge me that?"

After such a bold statement, she was expecting Caspian to react in some way, but he still seemed impassive. All eyes were on Caspian apart from Lucy who looked down again but secretly watched Cara from under her lashes. Again Cara moved imperceptibly to touch Caspian's hand and seemed to whisper something to him. Lucy was expecting that Cara must have been trying to give Caspian an excuse not to give the presents back and she is very much suprised when Caspian finally agrees, "Yes of course, we shall have them moved to your room tomorrow."

Lucy let go of the breath she didn't even realise she had been holding in. "Thank you Caspian" she said gratefully.

It almost felt like getting Caspian to agree was some kind a small victory to Lucyand she felt relived as the conversation around the table started to pick up again. As Lucy tries her best to join in the conversation for the remainder of the meal, she looks down the table to Trumpkin and sees him raise a glass to her in congratulations.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Thanks again and again to all those who review and put on alerts. So Happy :):)  
**

Chapter 7

The next day Lucy woke early with the strange feeling she was not in her own bed. At first she thought she was in Cambridge but as she opened her eyes and looked at the lavish room, everything came back to her in a rush.

She sat up suddenly and looked around. Yes she was definitely in Narnia. Feeling both overjoyed and distressed at the same time, she jumped out of bed and quickly went to her wash room to splash some water on her face.

She thought back to the meal the previous evening. After Lucy had managed to get Caspian to agree to let her have the gifts back, Cara had regained his attention and did not to let anyone else speak to him all evening. The rest of the meal had felt very stilted and awkward and so Lucy had excused herself as soon as she could to return to her room. She had felt exhausted and had fallen asleep almost immediately.

As Lucy wiped her face dry, she started to feel more awake and decided she wanted to make sure that the gifts were delivered to her room as soon as possible. She was pleased when just a few moments later there was a knock at her door and the maid Elaine came in with breakfast.

"Oh, you are up already my lady?" Elaine said in surprise,

"Yes, I'm not one to sleep in normally. I prefer to be out and exploring if I can." Lucy replied.

Elaine moved over and placed the breakfast tray on to the table.

"Thank you, hmm that smells good." Lucy said as she looked over the vast breakfast tray Elaine had brought up.

Elaine smiled and said "I brought up a few different things as I wasn't sure what you would like."

"Thank you, that was very kind. Ooh it all looks so good," Lucy said as she sat down and tucked in.

Elaine left her to eat and started to tidy away Lucy's things.

"Erm, actually Elaine, I really hope you won't mind me saying this" Lucy started awkwardly "but I'm a little uncomfortable with being waited on. Please if you could just make the bed, I can put everything else away and get myself ready."

"Nonsense, my lady. This is what I am here for." Elaine replied giving Lucy a broad smile.

"I know but, I just, er,." Lucy tried to find the right way of saying that she didn't want her doing everything but it just felt silly.

"Oh, it's just, well, I've always felt a little strange about it, that's all. Carry on, I'll get used to it again. I almost did the first time round." Lucy replied a little sadly. She suddenly missed her brothers and sister very much. Being back in Narnia, made her remember all the years they had spent together there and Lucy missed them all. She sighed, and she thought again how much she wanted to arrange for all the presents from Father Christmas to be moved into her room sooner rather than later.

XOXOXOXO

After Lucy finished getting dressed, with a little help from Elaine to get her into the beautiful long lavender dress she was now wearing, she made her way down to the council halls.

The chairs in the main hall were empty today but a few of the people she recognised from dinner were drifting about. After a few moments of looking for either Caspian or Trumpkin, Lucy was startled by a man at her side.

"Good morning Queen Lucy," he said. He was an older man with grey hair, but he was very distinguished looking.

"Good morning," Lucy replied looking at him, he definitely looked familiar and she knew she had been introduced to him the night before but she could not for the life of her remember his name. Being the way she was, Lucy had the frankness to turn to him and say "I'm very sorry, I recognise you from last night but your name escapes me."

He barked a short laugh, and extended his hand, "Allow me to introduce myself, again… I am Lord Revilian. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Of course," Lucy replied and looked rather embarrassed, "I apologise Lord Revilian. It is very nice to meet you too, again."

"Well, you did seem rather distracted last night so I forgive you," he said graciously

"Why thank you" Lucy said with a mock curtsy.

Lord Revilian laughed again at the confidence Lucy radiated but as a Queen of Narnia during the golden age he presumed she had probably had to deal with many a delicate situation.

"Well my lady, were you looking for anyone in particular?" he asked.

"Indeed, I was looking for King Caspian and Trumpkin." she replied still smiling slightly at his jovial manners.

"Well, I have not yet seen the King this morning, but Lord Trumpkin was on his way to the stable yard when I saw him earlier." he replied more seriously.

"Right, could you point me in the direction of the stables then please?" she asked

"I can do better than that, I shall escort you if I may?" he said cheerfully holding out his arm.

"Why thank you kind sir," Lucy replied in the same merry tone, as she took his arm.

Lord Revillian started to tell her of his time on the Lone Islands before the mist had come from the East as they walked out to the stables. He told her how he loved the sea, and so when they had fled to the Lone Islands, he had not been as sorry to go as some of the other Lords had been.

"Well, my lady - here we are." Lord Revillian said as they turned them out of the courtyard and toward a huge line of stables.

Lucy looked astonished, the stable yard was at least five times larger than it had been when she had originally been at Cair Paravel.

"Wow," she breathed. "This place is enormous."

"Yes, the Kings horses are the finest in the whole of Narnia and he makes sure they are very well taken care of. They used to be his pride and joy." Lord Revillian said sounding more serious than he had during their entire conversation.

"Used to be?" Lucy asked.

Lord Revillian laughed humourlessly, "Yes, he is more preoccupied these days." he started to say but then looked away, "Oh but look there. There is Lord Trumpkin." he said as he pointed towards him.

"Oh thank you, I must go see him now." Lucy said hurriedly

"Of course, your majesty. Off you go and Good day" Lord Revillian said then turned and walked back to the castle.

"Good morning Lucy," Trumpkin said when she walked over to him.

"Good morning, Trumpkin." Lucy replied

"Was that Lord Revillion?" Trumpkin asked.

"Yes, he knew you were headed this way and brought me over. Are you going somewhere?" she asked, slightly disappointed.

"I was, I have to go to see the centaurs. We meet regularly to ensure that they are kept up to date of how things are progressing with the council, and they in turn bore me to death with what the stars are telling them." Trumpkin said dryly.

Lucy laughed out loud, "And I thought you'd changed. Well if you must be off, can I ask a favour first?"

"Of course,"

"I want to get my cordial and dagger moved as soon as possible. Since Caspian didn't seem to sure when he agreed to it last night, I thought it might be best to get them moved straight away."

"I had thought of that actually and I have arranged for them all to be moved this afternoon. I've left it in the hands of Lord Rhoop to arrange"

"Thank you Trumpkin, I should have known you'd sort it all out. Well I suppose I'll go do some exploring. Will you be gone long?"

"I expect I'll be gone all day, but I'll be back by nightfall. If you need anything just ask Lord Rhoop. He has become one of my most trusted advisors since his return."

"I will, thank you" Lucy replied fondly, "Have a good trip then."

"Good day Lucy," he said then turned and made his way to one of the stables to fetch his horse.

Lucy turned the other way, she had wanted to go explore the grounds but her nerves got the best of her and she found herself walking back to her room to wait for the gifts to be brought up instead.

XOXOXOXO

Anna had brought Lucy some lunch but she was so wild with apprehension as she waited that she could not eat a thing. Lucy nearly jumped out of her seat when she finally heard a knock at her door. She rushed over to open it and saw with much relief and a feeling of great joy, that there were several guards, all carrying glass cases. The first guard was carrying a small glass case which held her cordial and dagger. He bowed slightly and Lucy ushered him into the room.

"Thank you so much for bringing these up, please can you put them on the cabinets over there?" she said as the first guard entered.

Lucy saw that there were also three other guards that followed. One had a large glass case with Peters shield, still shining silver and red, and another with a long rectangular case that had Peters sword, lain sideways on a stand. Then finally one with Susan's bow and arrow and her horn in it together.

Lucy hugged herself tightly as she watched them place all the items carefully on to the shelves. Once they were finished, they bowed again and left, so Lucy was stood alone looking at her precious cordial and dagger.

She slowly ran a finger along the top of the glass case that held her presents and then lifted the lid. She took out her cordial and marvelled that the flask was still full to the brim with fire-flower juice. She ran her fingers over the red leather case and flipped it open, she studied the intricate detail on the glass flask and marvelled at her memories of all the times she had had to use this. So many battles, she recalled and none of them had seemed as insurmountable as the barrier that seemed to be keeping Caspian from her now.

Suddenly the wind gusted through her window and she thought she heard a soft growl on the wind. Lucy jumped and ran to the window

"Aslan?" she said softly, his growl had sounded like a warning but she had no idea what against. Lucy stopped at the window for a moment, with her flask still in her hands and she rolled it gently as she tried to decide what to do. She stepped away from the window and went back to admiring the gifts. She put her cordial back and took out the dagger. Again she ran her fingers over it, trying to familiarise herself with the beautiful details on the handle.

She put back her dagger and the moved on to look at Peter's sword, it was magnificent and she thought she could still hear a light growl on the wind as she studied the lions head at the top of the handle. How she missed her siblings. She moved on again to look at Susan's horn and her thoughts immediately went to Caspian and the time he had called them back.

She was idly wondering whether she would be able to bring her siblings to Narnia if she blew the horn, when there was gentle knock at the door.

"Come in," she called as she turned and smoothed down her dress. The door opened and to her utter amazement, Caspian walked in.

Lucy gasped in surprise. "Caspian?" she said faltering over the name,

"Queen Lucy," he replied, standing in the doorway majestically and nodding his head toward her in greeting .


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Thanks again everyone for the reviews. I'm so glad so many people are enjoying this. I did feel really bad for leaving the story on such a cliff hanger last time but it definitely let me know that you are all eager for more. I hope this slightly quicker update will keep you all happy … although I'm not sure as it gets a bit emotional! Also get ready for a second POV - I'm hoping this will read ok :):) **

Chapter 8

There was gentle knock at the door.

"Come in," Lucy called as she turned and smoothed down her dress.

The door opened and to her utter amazement, Caspian walked in.

Lucy gasped in surprise. "Caspian?" she said faltering over the name,

"Queen Lucy," he replied, standing in the doorway majestically and nodding his head toward her in greeting .

XOXOXOXO

They both looked at each other for a long moment, and Lucy felt again that she could drown in those amazing brown eyes. The distance she had been seeing was gone again and she couldn't understand how those warm brown eyes could make her feel so extraordinary. But as she looked into his eyes she also saw confusion. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her bearings.

"What brings you here my King?" she asked formally, not knowing what to make of the change in Caspian and the fact that he had come to her room.

"Well.." he started but he looked so confused. Lucy stared at him as he tried to form a sentence but he seemed completely out of his depth. He looked around the room, and his eyes widened when he saw the gifts.

"Oh," he said softly. "Here they are?"

"Erm, yes. You did say they could be moved to my rooms?" Lucy said questioningly.

"Of course, of course," he muttered quietly as he walked over to the cabinets.

Lucy moved over slightly and stood beside him.

He was doing as she had done and was running his fingers over one of the glass cases, but he was looking at the one containing Peters sword.

"It is glorious to look at, isn't it?" Lucy asked him quietly, still trying to understand what had brought him to her.

"Yes, it is." he said staring at the sword.

"Do you remember when Peter gave it to you?" Lucy asked, her eyes slid over to his as she tried to work out what he must be thinking.

"Yes," he breathed, and his eyes met hers "You look like her you know," he said in a rush, glancing at her almost guiltily before looking back to the sword.

"Pardon?" Lucy wasn't sure she had heard him right.

"You look a bit like Susan. When you're surprised, you look like her." he said stiffly as he glanced at her again but still he did not look at her properly.

Lucy was shocked by where the conversation had turned and wondered if that was all Caspian remembered of that day, how Susan had looked and how she had kissed him before she left Narnia. Lucy's insides twisted uncomfortably at the thought of Susan kissing Caspian and how much Caspian had seemed to fancy Susan when he met her. Lucy tried not to let the jealousy get the better of her.

"Do I? I've never thought I did." she said quietly as she tried to reign in her feelings.

"I know." Caspian said cryptically.

"You know?" Lucy asked in surprise, her mind jumped to the spell she had tried to cast on herself when she had been on the Dawn Treader but Caspian didn't know about that, did he?

"I remember how unhappy you were on the Dawn Treader when I said I'd not found anyone to compare with your sister." he said finally raising his eyes from the sword to look at her properly.

Lucy felt as if the air was being drained from the room, how could one man looking at her make her feel so many emotions at once.

"At the time, I remembered thinking you were starting to look like her," he continued as he watched her carefully, "You were so brave throughout that whole voyage, but your presence was also comforting and gentle and it reminded me of her in a way. But you were still so young. And now, well, just now when you looked surprised, you reminded me of her again." he finished softly still looking into her eyes.

Lucy wanted to quip that she had felt constantly surprised for the last two days but the words would not come. She did not want to break the rapport that they seemed to have in that moment.

Instead she took one of his hands in hers, his slightly callused fingers rubbed against hers and she was surprised by the effect the sensation seemed to have on her. But even the closeness of Caspian could not distract her from the heaviness in her heart.

"I miss them so much" she whispered, "More now than I have for the last few years." tears glistened in her eyes as her chest tightened with emotion.

He looked at her uncertainly, "You have not been with your brothers and sister in your world?" he asked concerned.

"No, it has been quite some time since I have seen Peter and Susan and over a year since I last saw Edmund. Our lives are very different there and because of the war and our circumstances, we have had to each make our own path in that world." she said trying to explain as best she could without having to go into too much detail.

"Its very hard to think of all the time we spent together in Narnia, and then all the time we have since spent apart in England." she sighed as a tear spilt down her cheek.

She felt rather than saw Caspian move his other hand and he reached up to wipe away her tear. Lucy felt her breath hitch as she stared into Caspian's eyes but no sooner had she felt his touch and a sudden wave of happiness wash over her, the sensation was interrupted by an unexpected knock at the door.

They both jumped away from each other and Lucy tried to compose herself as she said "Come in?"

A guard entered and seemed irate for some reason as he said "King Caspian, an urgent letter has arrived. It has been take to your study."

"Thank you Dunn," Caspian said coolly. The guard bowed and left as Lucy turned to look at Caspian. Her heart froze as she saw that the cold distant look had returned to his eyes.

"Caspian?" Lucy said softly trying to recapture some of the feelings from only moments earlier, but he barely acknowledged her as he said "Good day," then walked out.

Lucy felt as though her whole being was being crushed as he shut the door and a overwhelming feeling of loneliness hammered down on her. Suddenly her tears started to fall and Lucy felt as though they would never stop.

XOXOXOXO

TEN MINUTES EARLIER

Cara had followed Caspian silently, he had been acting strangely towards her ever since the meal the previous evening and she was concerned. Very concerned.

Her goal was so close at hand and she didn't need a little upstart of a pretend queen to come and ruin her plan.

She watched as Caspian knocked on Lucy's door and her fears were confirmed. Caspian had abandoned her to come and see Lucy.

She swiftly slipped into the small room next to Lucy's and looked around quickly.

She walked over to a chair in the corner of the room, she picked it up and then walked back over to put the chair up against the door and under the handle, to prevent anyone from coming in. She leaned against the wall adjoining Lucy's room and listened carefully. The walls weren't very thin but she could just make out some of the conversation and she could hear the soft and emotional changes in Caspian and Lucy's voices. Thinking quickly, she moved the chair and ran out of the room and down the staircase. She bumped into a guard two floors down and said hurriedly,

"Oh please can you go fetch King Caspian from Queen Lucy's room, an urgent letter has arrived for him. It is being taken to his study."

"Oh" the guard said surprised, he seemed to want to contradict what she had said seeing as she had come from the direction of Lucy's room but she gave him a stern look and said with authority "The King would not be happy to be kept waiting on this matter, he must be fetched immediately."

The guard scowled but said "Yes my lady" and hastily headed for Lucy's room.

Cara nodded to herself, then headed off to Caspian's study to plant the letter she had been holding on to for several days.

"_A bit sooner than planned," _she thought _"but at least this will get him away from that harpy."_

XOXOXOXO

Lucy felt as though she had been crying for hours, but in reality it had probably only been about 30 minutes. She finally decided enough was enough. She pulled herself up from the chaise longue and walked carefully into her wash room. She felt dog-tired and completely wrung out from crying. She took one of the clothes and dipped it into the cool water in the wash basin. She wiped her face clean then wet the cloth again and laid it over her eyes, hoping the cool water would ease the heat and sting from her crying. She rinsed the cloth and then went and laid on her bed. She held the cloth over her eyes for several more minutes before she finally started to feel a but more human.

"_Right," _she told herself. _"That's enough crying. Time to work out what to do next. Clearly Caspian is not himself when he is with Cara but he seems to be more like himself when he is away from her. So all I need to do is get him on his own so that I can figure out what's going on." _

Lucy felt a bit happier now that she was starting to form a plan of action. She would go seek out Caspian and get him alone. She went back to her wash room to check how bad she looked and was pleasantly surprised when she looked in the mirror and saw that she looked almost normal. Her face was terribly pale but her eyes were not too red or swollen. Another five minutes with the cloth over her eyes and she thought she might be presentable.

As she went to lay down again, there was an urgent knock at her door. Her heart leapt in her chest as for moment as she thought it might be Caspian.

"Come in," she called in a high-pitched voice that did not sound like her own. She tried to calm her breathing as she hoped that Caspian would be the one to enter.

But it was not.

It was in fact Lord Rhoop.

"Queen Lucy, I'm sorry to disturb you," he said respectfully

"That's okay," Lucy said as she walked over to him.

"Oh," he said as she got closer, "My Queen, are you quite alright?" he looked at her with concern.

Perhaps she didn't look as normal as she had thought.

"I'm fine, Lord Rhoop, it has just been an emotional afternoon," she said gesturing towards the gifts that were now on display.

"Of course, your majesty," Lord Rhoop said rather uncomfortably.

Lucy started to get the feeling that there was something else wrong and asked quite sharply "What can I do for you?"

"I am sorry to disturb you." he said again "but an emergency council meeting has been called and in Lord Trumpkins absence, I think you should be present."

"Why has council been called?" Lucy asked perplexed.

"A letter has been sent to King Caspian from the King of Archenland, he is asking for support from Narnia in a war against Calormen."

"What?" Lucy exclaimed

"Your majesty, we must hurry before the council starts." Lord Rhoop said as he motioned towards the door.

"Yes of course," Lucy replied and they walked quickly from her room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Hey guys, so sorry for not updating sooner, unfortunately real life sometimes gets in the way :(:(**** But as always thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I will continue with this story … **

Chapter 9

As Lucy and Lord Rhoop rushed down to the Council Hall, Lord Rhoop explained that Narnia had treaties with both Archenland and Calormen but that the two countries had never been agreement with each other. There had been tensions between Calormen and Archenland for hundreds of years, ever since Calormen had declared war on Archenland and Narnia during Lucy's Golden Age. During Caspian's reign he had defeated the Calormen armies and a truce had been secured but the relationships were still strained.

Lucy tried to digest all the information Lord Rhoop was telling her as quickly as she could. Her own thoughts were jumbled as she tried to disassociate her past dealings with both countries with what was happening now.

"So why is the King of Archenland now asking Caspian to break his truce with Calormen and go to war?"

"I do not know yet, I only had what information had been told to me by the messengers sent to fetch all the council members." Lord Rhoop replied.

"But you were the only one who thought to fetch me?" Lucy asked, feeling a little bit offended.

"Well, yes your majesty. I'm afraid that the council members that remember you, only remember you from Aslan's How." he said anxiously

"I see," Lucy replied stiffly, so they all still thought of her as the little girl she had been then.

"So why did you come get me?" she asked trying not to let her irritation show in her voice.

"King Caspian and Lord Trumpkin have both spoken of you most highly for many years regardless of your age and I know some of your history from the Golden Age. Plus I am certain Trumpkin would want you to attend." Lord Rhoop replied.

"And you know he would not be best pleased if I was not informed?," Lucy asked shrewdly.

"Ha," Lord Rhoop tried to scoff, "I think I would have fetched you anyway." he said.

Lucy smiled sincerely at him as they neared the council hall, then her face dropped.

"Where will I sit?" she asked quickly.

"You will take Lord Trumpkins seat. I am sure he would be happy if he knew that you will be in his stead."

"Thank you" Lucy replied nervously as they entered the hall.

A number of the lords were silenced by her presence as Lord Rhoop led her to the side to Trumpkins seat. Some were giving her openly questioning looks and a couple even looked at her disapprovingly.

Within moments of being seated, Lucy looked up and saw Caspian enter with Cara on his arm. A loud murmur broke out across the other council members as Caspian led her up to the dais and they took the same seats at the head of the hall that they had been in when Lucy had arrived.

"ORDER, ORDER" shouted a minotaur to Lucy's left and Caspian stood at the head of the hall.

"Thank you," Caspian said as they all quieted down. He stayed standing as he began to address them all;

"I have called you all to this meeting to discuss a letter I have just received from King Aedan, with grave news. King Aedan has been made aware of a plot by the Calormen's to invade Archenland. He has asked for my support to help defend their borders against an attack."

At this the councillors started talking furiously and the minotaur had to call order once again.

"I know this is shocking in view of our treaty with Calormen, but we must decide what action to take." Caspian said authoritatively.

Lord Bern stood and addressed the council, "My King, we cannot act on this lightly. We must obtain all the facts." he said carefully, then with a tense look at Lady Cara, he added "I also think it would be wise that only actual council members are privy to this meeting."

"HEAR HEAR" several of the other members called but the severe look that Caspian gave them all silenced them quickly.

"I see no reason why Lady Cara should not be present." Caspian responded in slow and slightly defiant tone.

"My liege, I do not think it would be prudent to have an emissary present from one of the countries we shall be discussing." Lord Bern tried again.

"Lady Cara is not an emissary, she is here as my guest." Caspian said sternly

Lord Revillion stood to give a support to Lord Bern and said "Guest or otherwise, she is not a council member."

Caspian seemed to realise that the council was not going to be swayed and turned to Cara.

Lady Cara stood and gazed haughtily at the council.

"I shall leave you to your council" she said shrilly "but I do think my input would be of benefit to you all. Do not suppose that I would blindly tell King Caspian to jump to Archenland's defence if that is not in his and his countries best interest."

Several of the councillors including Lucy sat up at this last comment, surprised by her words.

Then Cara turned and eyed Lucy with an evil glint in her eye, "I agree that perhaps for now it might be best that only council members are here to discuss this matter. Queen Lucy shall we leave them to their council?"

Lucy was surprised but not shocked that Cara was trying to oust her from the meeting as well but Lucy stood and addressed her in her most calm and imperial voice.

"Lady Cara, I am a Queen of Narnia, and once a Queen always a Queen of Narnia." she said quoting Aslan's words to her. "As such I am and always will be a member of this council." Lucy sat back down and turned to look at Caspian without another glance to Cara.

Lucy tried to breath deeply without showing any outward sign of her anger at Cara.

Cara herself flushed deeply, and turned to Caspian, "I shall be waiting for you." she said subversively then walked from the hall.

After Cara had left, several of the Lords clamoured to speak and discuss the reasons behind the letter. Lucy had to keep all her attention on the matter at hand as they spoke of the plot King Aedan had discovered and what evidence he had provided to Caspian. They talked for several hours but they could not come to an agreement. Caspian's treaties with both countries were important in maintaining the peace across all of Narnia and any breach with either country would be disastrous. However as they talked Lucy's mind kept wandering back to one fact. _"Why hadn't Cara wanted to jump to Archenland's defence. How could she be so callous towards her own kinmen." _Something about Cara's attitude stank to high heaven and Lucy was determined that she should find out what.

XOXOXOXO

Cara was pacing her room talking at her maidservant.

"I really underestimated that little Narnian Queen." she said 'narnian' as if it were a nasty swear word, then she snorted with derision. "Little Queen, from what Caspian told me I expected her to be 12 years old. I could tell he had a soft spot for her but I never suspected it could be more. Stupid little narnian."

"My Lady, please sit, you should not wear yourself out," her maid said with unease.

"Urgh, as if I could sit still whilst they are holding that meeting without me. I knew it was too soon, I knew it. But I had to push forward, I can't let that stupid girl get in my way," Cara said as she continued to pace.

"How long can this meeting last, its been going on for hours now. I need to get to Caspian," she said more to herself than the maid. "I need to give him more detailed instructions."

After pacing for a few more minutes, Cara finally flopped into one of the armchairs.

"Fetch my mixing bag," she said quietly to the maid, who hurried off to do her bidding.

XOXOXOXO

The council meeting finally seemed to be coming to a close. It had been decided that emissaries from Narnia should be sent to both Archenland and Calormen to obtain more information and to seek a truce between all three countries. A further council meeting was to be held the next day to discuss who would be sent and how the situation should proceed.

Lucy was extremely grateful when the meeting concluded, as she had taken in a lot of information and felt thoroughly worn out.

As the Lords exited the hall, Caspian, Lord Rhoop and Lucy were the last to leave. Caspian also looked weary and she could see that the meeting had taken a toll on him. She tried to catch his eyes but he seemed determined to avoid her.

Lucy decided now was not the time to try and speak Caspian, she turned to Lord Rhoop and cleared her throat, "Lord Rhoop, a moment if I may?" she asked.

Both Caspian and Lord Rhoop stopped in their tracks but Caspian carried on quickly and he left the hall whilst Lord Rhoop turned to her.

"Queen Lucy?" he asked politely

"Can I be notified when Lord Trumpkin returns please?" she asked

Lord Rhoop looked slightly uncomfortable. "My Queen, he will have a lot to attend to when he returns, perhaps you could wait until the morning?

"I'm afraid not," Lucy replied stubbornly. "I will retire to my rooms now but I should still like to be told as soon as he returns."

"Of course my lady." he replied and bowed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Chronicles of Narnia. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Authors note: Thank you everyone who reviewed. Still makes me so happy to see all those emails pop up for reviews and alerts :):)**** A slightly shorter than normal update as I didn't want to go too long without giving you guys some more and I still seem to struggle to find a good stopping point… As always I hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 10

Cara jumped when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called harshly

She stood as Caspian entered and smiled a cruel small smile.

"Caspian darling, come here." she said

Caspian walked forward without saying a word and stood in front of her. He looked weary but impassive as he stood waiting.

"Sit," Cara ordered and Caspian sat.

"Did the council agree to your request?" she asked

"It took time, but I managed to convince them that emissaries should be sent and it was agreed that we shall decide who will go tomorrow." he replied vacantly

"Good. Have you made the suggestion as to who should go?"

"Yes, I told them it should be Lord Trumpkin and Lord Darmir to Archenland and Lord Revillion and Lord Gregoire to Calormen."

"Good, that will work in our favour if those four are not around." Cara stood suddenly, smiling maliciously at Caspian. "Would you like some tea darling?" she said in her shrill voice.

"Yes my lady," he answered.

She poured tea for them both and added a few drops of clear liquid from a vial to Caspian's cup before handing it to him.

"Here you are. Drink up."

Caspian took the cup and drank deeply, emptying the cup in one go.

"Very good," Cara said.

Caspian put down the cup and seemed to slump on his seat. He mumbled slightly.

"Quiet," Cara snapped at him.

She stood and started pacing as she spoke at Caspian.

"Now darling, you must make sure that Trumpkin, Darmir, Revillion and Gregoire are the ones who are sent as emissaries. Is there anyone who will object?" she questioned,

"Yes," Caspian replied blearily.

"Who?" she demanded.

"Lord Trumpkin, Lord Bern and Queen Lucy. Others may follow their example." Caspian said quietly.

Cara made a disgruntled noise in her throat, "Urgh, as if Lucy should have any say at all. Well Caspian, you will make sure they do not interfere. Make sure you speak highly of their diplomacy and negotiation skills. Flattery always wins men over. You must ensure that the council chooses these four. Understood?"

"Yes my lady."

"As for Lucy," she said scathingly, as she turned back to Caspian and leaned toward him "You are not to be alone with her. You must carry on avoiding her company."

"Yes my lady,"

"You are mine." she stated bluntly, "You are in love with me and you **will** do my bidding."

"Yes my lady," he replied again.

"Good, now leave and go to bed." she ordered.

Caspian stood and walked out without so much as a backward glance.

"_Hmm," _Cara thought smugly to herself_, "Things seem to be right on track." _

XOXOXOXO

Lucy was sat in her bedroom, sitting at her dressing table. All her things had been swept to one side and replaced by a stack of paper, pens and ink. She was sat at the desk, bent over and furiously scribbling away. She was trying to write out as much as she could remember from the council meeting.

Lucy had done this many times during her school years. She always remembered things more clearly if she wrote them down and she found it easier to reason and resolve problems if she had written down all the arguments.

She had almost finished writing all she could remember when there was a knock at the door.

She stood and walked into her sitting room, as she called out "Come in,"

A soldier that Lucy recognised from earlier that day opened the door and bowed quickly.

"My lady, Lord Trumpkin has returned. He has asked if you can attend him at his study?"

"Yes of course. Dunn is it?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, my lady." he answered

"Can you show me the way?" she asked

"Of course," the soldier replied.

They walked quickly and quietly towards one of the other living quarters. Dunn stopped a fair way down one corridor.

"This is Lord Trumpkins study." he said as he gestured to the door,

"Thank you," Lucy said as he bowed and left.

Lucy knocked gently on the door.

"Come." she heard Trumpkin's gruff voice call out.

Lucy walked in and stopped, she was amazed by the sheer number of scrolls that were in the room. The walls were stacked with cupboards, which were full to the brim and the desk at which Trumpkin sat had at least another twenty on it. She looked at Trumpkin and took a deep breath.

"Trumpkin, I am pleased you are back." she said, relief clear in her voice as she sat in a chair opposite him.

"As am I. It sounds like it has been pretty eventful while I've been gone. Lord Bern has filled me in. Sounded like the council meeting went on for some time? And I thought I had it bad with the centaurs," he quipped.

"Yes it was certainly a long meeting. I've not had to sit through anything like that for quite some time." Lucy chuckled then quickly became serious again. "But that is not all that has happened today. Caspian came to see me earlier this afternoon" she said, then she proceeded to tell him all about Caspian's strange visit.

"Right, well, that's very odd," Trumpkin said, sounding confused as she finished.

"Indeed, I did not know what to make of it at all." Lucy said.

"Hmm, so much to think on," Trumpkin said as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"You must be tired. I won't keep you long, but I have one further question." she said faintly

"Yes?" Trumpkin prompted her.

"Do you think you will go to Archenland as one of the emissaries?" she asked quickly

"Caspian has entrusted me with such duties before and apparently I have a knack for these kinds of negotiations. So if Caspian and the council deem it for the best, then yes I will."

"Oh," Lucy said as she felt tears start to swim in her eyes once again. "I do not think you should go."

"Lucy?" Trumpkin sounded concerned

"I have a really bad feeling about this, Trumpkin. Something in the pit of my stomach tells me you should not go." she said in a rush.

"You know I can take care of myself and if this is the best for Narnia then I must go." he said frankly.

Lucy stifled a sob.

Trumpkin looked slightly uncomfortable as he said "You are very tired. Go to bed now. This will be discussed in the morning by the council."

"Will I be allowed to attend the council?" she asked

"Only if you want to? But I had it on good authority that you stood your ground when it was insinuated that you should not be there?" Trumpkin said now smiling slightly.

"Hmm, you heard about that? Well I stand by what I said." Lucy said proudly and a teeny bit smugly as she remembered the look on Cara's face.

"Well, I agree that you should be there, so I have made arrangements for another seat to be added next to mine. I value your opinion Lucy. I know you have always been right, remember?"

"Indeed," Lucy laughed slightly remembering the time he thought her mad for seeing Aslan, "I just wish I could see him now." she said.

"Me too, me too. Now go to bed." Trumpkin said kindly.

"Alright bossy. Goodnight." she said amused, as she stood and left to go back to her room.


End file.
